Tag: Superheroes

The last time we saw the characters of Going Through The Changethey wereinvolved in a climactic brawl at the end of a search for answers. Change Of Lifeby Samantha Bryant begins several months after the events of book one. Patricia who can turn into a lizard like creature is still trying to find her former friend and scientist Cindy Lu who has changed from a 67-year-old woman to a young girl. We also have Leonel who changed from a woman to a man and Jessica who can now fly. They have joined a top-secret organization called The Department and are training to be super spies

Jessica and Leonel believe they are using their powers for something greater and Patricia feels abandoned by them. Things start to get more complicated as Patricia gets kidnapped and the clues to what happened point to a dead man. Jessica, Leonel and the Department lead a search for her that raises more questions than answers.

What I liked most about this book was how Samantha Bryant makes her characters realistic. First of all who ever heard of a superhero going through menopause? The subplots are what made this book stand out for me, the characters may have superpowers but they are dealing with real world issues too. Leonel has a new career as a department spy and now doesn’t have time to be the housewife and mother she use to but she doesn’t want to give up her job. Jessica is dealing with a failed marriage, two young kids and a possible new love interest and Patricia is dealing with retirement and her new body. Also the reason these women have powers in the first place is because they were all taking something to help them with their aging bodies. Change Of Life maybe about superheroes but a lot of depth and detail goes into each character.

There are some great action sequences in this book also, I loved the part where Jessica takes her test to join the department. Her mission is to retrieve a package from a building full of armed spies, she completes her task and manages to beat up on two department operatives in the process. I found myself cheering for Jessica as she went through her test, this is a woman who is a cancer survivor and mother who has now gained new powers and mastered them. Even the minor characters have a lot going on, I loved the reaction of her new boss Sally Ann who has some interesting powers herself. I’m hoping to see a lot more of Helen and Cindy Lu in book three, they have small roles in this book and I liked seeing how different they are from book one.

Change of Life takes what happens in the first book in a new direction. While the first one was an orgin story this one builds on that and adds a spy element to the superhero storyline. Think Agents of Shield meets The X files or at least that’s what I was thinking as I read it. Above all else this is a human drama disguised as a superhero spy story. I love these characters and watching them deal with the changes they are going through and I’m looking forward to the next book.